Live to eat or eat to live?
Eat to live. I’m not fussy about food and very rarely crave for a particular kind of food. Although eating sweet is my weakness!
Are you fond of Instagramming food pics?
Not really. It’s only when I’m really at peace and remember to take a picture of what I’m eating that you’ll see it on my Instagram. But on most occasions when I should be taking a good picture, I’m so excited to eat it and hungry that I miss taking that picture.
Sushi |
Share with us details of your five most memorable meals ever...
Aai’s Kasuri Methi Chicken or Chicken Biryani when I go visit my parents. It’s always the first thing I’m guessing when I step into my parents’ house — so what’s cooking in the kitchen?
I remember this pizza I had had in the Rocky Mountain National Park last year. It was really cold outside. This pizza had meat and pineapples and the flavours made such a whirlpool in my mouth.
Chicken Biryani |
There’s a mountain resort in Coorg called Tamara. They have the most amazing buffet. I remember being tired after a trek and having the most amazing meal in their buffet.
Many years back my brother had taken me to a restaurant called Genghiz Grill in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I remember watching all the vegetables, meat and sauces getting tossed into the grill, coming out to make one of the tastiest meals I’ve ever had.
Varan Bhat |
What is your fave comfort food?
Varan bhaat which is the most basic yellow Maharashtrian dal and rice.
What food items do you find absolutely impossible to resist?
Cookies and cakes. I have to really talk myself out of eating either of these when I see them. I’ve gotten much better in recent times. But I have absolute love for cookies and cakes.
How experimental are you when it comes to different cuisines?
I can’t say I’m too experimental especially since I can’t exactly call myself a foodie. But I remember eating elk meat in Norway and I had really enjoyed it.
Cookies |
What are your meals generally like?
I try and keep all my meals home cooked. My food consists of vegetables and boiled eggs for breakfast. I do more vegetables, meat and rice for lunch. Soup and salad for dinner. I’m not tolerant to lactose so I substitute it with almond milk whenever required. I keep gluten to a minimum or go without it completely whenever I can. When I order out, I keep to the starters on the menu, I order salads, grilled chicken, etc.
Singer Shalmali Kholgade |
Which are the best food destinations — local and international — that you would recommend?
I love eating at Indigo Deli in Mumbai. In different parts of the world there are different places I like to eat at - in the US, I love eating at diners (as unhealthy as they are) I love IHOP. In Norway I love the shrimp salad or shrimp sandwich places, in Japan I’ve loved the small cozy Japanese food joints that have so much more than sushi on the menu.
Cake |
Do you enjoy cooking?
I’m a joke in the kitchen. It’s a sight. Nine out of 10 times I’ve been unsuccessful in cooking something from instruction. I need a lot of moral support after my failures in the kitchen. After many tries I can proudly say I’m half decent at banana oat flour healthy pancakes. But I’m in the kitchen once in one or two months. If you consider baking cooking, then I’m really good at baking cookies.
Which cuisines are you most partial to?
I’d say Japanese and Indian. I think they are easiest to prepare a healthy meal out of.
